Improvement in revolving fire-arms



NORTH & SAVAGE.

Revolver.

Patented J an. 18, 185 9 ,6: van to r:

J a N M m Q m m IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 22,666, dated January lb, 1551!.

To all whom it may concern:

lle it known that we, .llENnY S. NORTH, of l\liddleton,in thccountyofMiddlescX andbtatc ot'Uonnect icut, and EDWARD SAVAG E, ot'UroInwell, in the same county and State, have invented certain new and useful lnnwoverncnts in Revolving Fire-Arms; and we do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the acctnnpanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal central sectional view ofa rifle with our improvement. Fig. 2 is a transverse section ofthe same just in front of the cylinder.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in both figures.

()nr invention relates to that class of revolw inglirc-arms in which the many-chambered cylinder rotates upon an axis parallel with the bore of the barrel.

One ffltlllt} of our invention consists in the employment of movable cylindrical bushings or thimbles fitted into cavities formed around the front portions of the chambers of the rotating cylinder in such a manner as to lit to an external seat at the rearcnd of the barrel while the latter enters within the chambers, and as to allow the gases resultingi'rom the explosion of the charge to act upon their rear ends to drive them forward against the barrel and make them form close joints therewith for the purpose of preventing the escape of fire or gas.

Another feature of our invention consists in the combination of a slide fitted to work longitudinally under the cyliinler-frame, and ajointed trigger-guard, part ofwhich also constitutes a partof a lever for effecting the operations of rotating and locking the chambered cylinder and ot'cocking the lock, such combination being for the purpose of preventing the mechanism by which the above-mentioned operations are effected from incumbering the exterior of the piece in any of its conditions, and allowing such mechanism to be operated by the left hand to repeat the fire without removing the piece from the shoulder or even disturbing the ann.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the frame, which contains the rotating many-chambered cylinder 0 and the lock, and

which forms the connection between the stock 8 and barrel 1 The cylinder U is titted to rotate on a lixcd arbor, a, and besides its rotary motion it has a motion parallel with its axis for the purpose of bringing it up to the barrel before tiring, and afterward drawing it back clear of the barrel to permit its rotation.

11 b are the cylindrical bushings or thiinbles, whose application within the chambers cc constitutes the first-mentioned feature of our invention. These bushings or thimbles may be made of steel or other metal, and have their bore as large or very slightly larger than the general size of the bore of the chambers c 0. Their thickness may be about one-twentieth (5 of an inch and their depth about threcsixtecnths of an inch. The mouths of the chambers 0 care bored out to a depth somewhat greater than the depth of said bushings or thinr bles to form cavities large enough to receive said bushings ortimbles within thennas shown at ii, in Fig. l the said bushingsor thimbles lilting so snugly into the so-enlarged portions 1' i of the chambers as to prevent the escape between them of the gases resulting from the explosion, aml having portions 22. n of the cavities unfilled behind them, into which the gases resulting from the explosion of the charge can enter to act upon the rear ends of the said bushings or thiniblcs to press them closely against the rear of the barrel for the purpose of preventing any escape between the cylinder and barrel. To provide for the operation of these bushings or thimblcs, it is desirable that the valve-like face or seat 0 c at the end of the barrel shall enter the chambers when the joints between the chambers and barrel are closed and topermit this the cylinder requires tohavca movement longitudinallyor in a direction parallelwith its axis,as before mentioned, as wellasarotary movement. This longitudinal movementis effected in the example of the invention represented in the drawings by the toggle-connection between the cylinder or recoll-shield and stock, which forms part of the subjectmatter of Letters Patent granted to the within-named Henry S. North, dated June 17, 1856; but other means of producing said movement mightbo adopted.

1) E isthe trigger-guard,madcin two pieces, connected by a joint at d, and being connected at the front bed-joint,f, (see Fig. 1,) to the side F, which is fitted to slide longitudinally back and forth in a groove, g, in the bottom of thel'rameA,and which is provided with a ring", F, to enable it to be laid hold of with the left; hand while the piece is held at the. shoulder in position for tiring. the trigger-guard constitutes a portion of a lever, which works on a fulcrum-pin, h, for the purpose of operating the mechanism by which the rotary and longitudinal movements of the cylinder and the cockingot' the hammer are et feet'ed. This lever is like the linger-lever de scribed in the aforesaid Letters 'lat'entot' Hen ry S. North for the purpose of effecting the same movements. 11y pulling; back the slide F the lower end of the lever 1) is moved back, aml the operations of drawing back or unlocking and rotating the cylinder and of cocking the hammer are effected, and by pushing forward the said slide again the lever E is caused to act upon the toggle-connection to force forward and lock the'cyliuder and barrel.

lhe above-described combination of the sliding piece Fand jointed trigger-guard may be applied in combination with a lever operating through anyother agency to effect the locking and rotation of the cylinderand cooking; of the hammer with great advantage, as the slide F, from its position and arrangement, can be operated by the left hand to repeat the fire without relinquishing; the support which the said hand gives to the piece-rifle, towling-pieee, musket, or carbine-while held to the right shoulder or disturbing the arm.

\Ve are aware that many applications of packing-rings or thimbles have been made The rear portion, I ol" to breeeh-ltmdinp, firearms to be acted upon by the force oithe. explosion toelosetheioinls between the chamber and breech, and that application has been made to lireaims oi the same kind of a thimble to be acted upon by similar agency to close a joint between the chamber and barrel. We therel'ore disclaim entirely the use oi rings or tliimbles when not applied, as herein described, in combination with a rotating, chambered cylinder havin also a longitudinal movement; but

hat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The employment of the movable cylindrical bushings or thimbles l/ I), applied, sulr stantially as herein described, within cavities i 1', formed in the front portions of the chain bers of a rotating chambered breech which has a longitudinal movement to operate and be operated upon, substantially as herein spece tied, in combination with a valve-like seat, 0 e, which is formed upon the rear of the barrel.

2. The combination of the slide F, working in the bottom of the cylim'ler-frameA, and the double-join ted trigger-guard D E, part ot which constitutes also a part ot'a lever th rough Whose agency the rotation of the cylinder aml cocking of the hammer are effected, the whole operating substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

HENRY S. NORTH. EDVV. SAVAGE. Witnesses:

ARTHUR 1' UALEF, JONATHAN BAnNEs. 

